If you ask Ohio State women’s basketball coach Jim Foster about his squad’s match-up tonight at No. 14 Penn State, he will say it is just another game.
The truth is, this one has a little higher stakes than the coach would like to admit. Tonight, the No. 23 Buckeyes will hit the road to battle for sole possession of the top spot in the Big Ten.
Both teams enter the match-up with a 6-1 conference record.
OSU — which has won 12 of its last 13 games — must defensively contain a Nittany Lion scoring arsenal which includes one of the top players in the country. All-American guard Kelly Mazzante enters the contest as the Big Ten’s leading scorer with an average of 25.4 points per game.
“You better understand where Mazzante is, and the other players play off her very well,” Foster said. “They have one player (Mazzante) capable of scoring 40.”
The focus does not stop at the main threat. The Nittany Lions can unleash guard Tanisha Wright, who averages 16.7 points per contest, forward Jessica Brungo 13.3 points, and guard Jess Strom’s 10 points.
Foster knows Penn State coach Rene Portland well. Both started their careers at St. Joseph’s University (Pa.).
Foster said the Nittany Lions are a typical Portland-coached team. The offense will work to find Mazzante and the other scorers open looks.
“They’re going to score on great in-bound plays, spread the floor well and guard in a variety of ways,” Foster said.
Sunday the Buckeyes were able to use its zone defense to keep the Iowa Hawkeyes grounded with 74-59 win. Guard Caity Matter expects to go with the zone again, but with two or three changes as the night goes on.
But for Matter — the Buckeyes’ leading scorer with an average of 16 points a game — the offense has to make sure the game plan is put into action.
“I don’t think we have to key on them, but we have to go out and play our game,” Matter said. “We have to be aggressive on defense and execute on offense, and I think if we do those like we can, we’re going to have a good chance to come out of there with the win.”
In OSU’s first season under Foster, seniors like forward Courtney Coleman find the program in unfamiliar territory and are taking baby steps when it comes to this unknown level of success.
“I think our team is very humble. It’s exciting and we’ve worked hard to be in first place, but we’ve never been in this position before. So I don’t think we really know how to act,” Coleman said. “Everybody knows that we need to continue to work harder, we need to continue to win games.”
Heading into tonight’s game, OSU is just two wins shy of equaling last year’s 8-8 conference mark.
The last time OSU made the trip into Bryce Jordan Arena last season, they upset the then-No. 24 ranked Nittany Lions 70-65. It was just one of seven wins for the program against Penn State in 34 tries. Additionally, the Nittany Lions have won 13 straight at home, including all nine this season.
While Foster is taking a low-key, business-as-usual approach, the players realize tonight’s winner will be in the drivers’ seat for the Big Ten championship.
“It’s a huge game, but as a player, that’s kind of what you want,” Matter said. “You want the No. 1 teams in the conference going up against each other, so it a big game.”
